Category Archives: Training

November 30, 2011

Workin’ 9 to 5. What a way to make a livin’.

Welcome back to Matinee Wednesday.

This month I reviewed a different movie each Wednesday and I shared a lesson you probably didn’t get the 1st time you watched it.

It has been a pleasure reviewing these movies with you and learning valuable job search and life lessons. I hope you enjoyed this series. Please let me know some of your favorites. I’ll see you back here soon.

November 2 we relived the suits-with-sneakers era with Working Girl.

November 9 we went Back to the Future.

November 16 we went to detention with The Breakfast Club.

November 23 we experimented with Weird Science.

This week we’re working Nine to Five (1980)

9 to 5 Movie PostedFrank Hart is a pig. He takes advantage in the grossest manner of the women who work with him. When his three assistants manage to trap him in his own house they assume control of his department and productivity leaps, but just how long can they keep Hart tied up? Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

LESSON: Do not take your assistants or support staff for granted, people you supervise can always be a reference. Teach and train others – it bolsters your skills and helps those on the ladder below you rise up. In this movie, 3 powerful women prove to everyone and themselves that they can do a better job than a man. Just like Working Girl, which we will get to at the end of the month but which you might recall (“I have a head for business and a bod for sin” is borderline inappropriate!), people took control of their career destinies. This is not a men versus women lesson but one about those in power and those that take it.

Catagories: Communication Job Search Training
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November 2, 2011

We’re Gonna Make It Happen

Welcome to Matinee Wednesday. 1980-1989 was the era of big hair, big dreams and great movies. Take a break from work and grab some leftover Halloween candy.

Working Girl (1988)

Working Girl

imdb.com

Tess McGill is a frustrated secretary, struggling to forge ahead in the world of big business in New York. She gets her chance when her boss breaks her leg on a skiing holiday. McGill takes advantage of her absence to push ahead with her career. She teams up with investment broker Jack Trainer to work on a big deal. The situation is complicated after the return of her boss. Written by Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com>

LESSON: A few of the most important business lessons are in this movie. Don’t lie, dress the part and do not let those in power take your ideas.

  • Lying is never a good idea, as we learned from another classic movie, but taking advantage of opportunities as they arise is often good business practice. It is important to prove yourself at work, however, the sexual harassment and fashion crimes in this movie can not be excused.
  • One of the most important business lessons is to stand up for yourself and not allow yourself to be taken advantage of. As Katherine, the boss, says, “You make it happen.” What she didn’t mention was that she thought “you” meant her and not anyone else. There will inevitably be someone ready to knock you down and take credit for your work. Be smart and as quickly as possible take steps to remedy the situation.
  • Tess knew that if she didn’t dress the part she would not be taken seriously. Literally wearing your boss’s clothes is not the best idea but dressing and acting like you deserve the respect the boss is due can change your career.
Catagories: Communication Job Search Training
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January 19, 2011

What are you trained to do? Issue spot?

At work however, you should share your knowledge, share what you think might happen. If it does happen and there are negative effects and you haven’t spoken up, you have done yourself, the firm and your client a disservice. You often know and understand more than you think. That said, always ask the questions you have because you will be surprised how many other people do not know or understand the same things as you. How many times have you been in a room, someone asks a question and you had been wondering the same thing? Help people while helping yourself. That is what building relationships is about, putting yourself out there, asking the question can be the start of something, even more than simply learning something new.

Catagories: Training
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